Tilt switch with elongated switch blade mounted on a triangular pivot for wiping action

ABSTRACT

A switch having a tiltable actuator for pivoting a switch blade about a pivot terminal post in a make-and-break movement with respect to a pair of associated terminal contacts, and for effecting continuing wiping movement of the blade transversely across the face of the terminal contact.

Umted States Patent 1151 3,674,966 Long July 4, 1972 [54] TILT SWITCH WITH ELONGATED [56] References Cited SWITCH BLADE MOUNTED ON A TRIANGULAR PIVOT FOR WIPING UN'TED STATES PATENTS ACTION 2,874,338 2/1959 Pease ..200/l64 R X 3,230,334 1/1966 Piber..... .......200/164 R 1 Inventor: Em Lonfl, "lghland Park, 3,184,561 5/1965 Heath ..2o0/1s4 x is C t' [73] Asslgnee FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 22 i June 22 1970 549,324 10/1956 ltaly ..200/67 G 1,242,737 6/1967 Germany [2]] Appl. No.: 48,197

' Primary Examiner-Robert K. Schaefer Related U's' Apphcahon Data Assistant Examiner-Robert A. Vanderhye [63] Continuation-impart of Ser. No. 724,809, April 29, 5d Threedy 1968, Pat. NO. 3,562,462.

57 ABSTRACT [52] 11.8. CI. ..200/l64, 200/6 R, 200/166 BH [5] Int. Cl ..H0lh 1/18, H0111 23/30 A Switch having a tumble actuator fOf pivoting 3 Switch blade I 58] Field of Search ..200/l64, 154,6 C, 6 R, 6 BB, about a Pivot t inal post in a make-and-break movement 200/]66 BH, 153 K, 676

with respect to a pair of associated terminal contacts, and for effecting continuing wiping movement of the blade transverse-- ly across the face of the terminal contact.

4 Claims, 10 Drawing Figures TILT SWITCH WITH ELONGATEI) SWITCH BLADE MOUNTED ON A TRIANGULAR PIVOT FOR WIPING ACTION This application is a continuation-in-part of my pending application for patent, Ser. No. 724,809, filed April 29, 1968, now US. Pat. No. 3,562,462.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A switch, including a housing for a plurality of terminal contacts, with one of the terminal contacts providing a fulcrum for a tiltable switch blade; a switch blade preformed with an angular seat and so arranged as to have its opposite ends movable into and out of contact with certain of the terminal contacts when the blade is tilted about the fulcrum. A tiltable actuator mounted on the housing in a neutral position, and having an actuating element in contact with the tiltable blade, and in operative relationship to the fulcrum provided by one of the terminals to efi'ect tilting of the blade thereabout, as the actuator is tilted in either direction out of its neutral position against a spring that yieldably maintains the actuator in its neutral position.

The invention consists in the novel combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafier described and claimed.

The invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawings showing one form of construction, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the tilt switch;

FIG. 2 is a sectional detailed view of the tilt switch in its neutral position;

FIG. 3 is a sectional detailed view of the switch in one actuated position;

FIG. 4 is a sectional detailed view of the switch in a completed actuated position;

FIG. 5 is a plan underside view of the switch actuator;

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the tilt switch with the actuator removed;

FIG. 7 is a side elevational view of the actuator;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the fulcrum terminal post;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of one of the switch blades of the switch;

FIG. 10 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevational view of the fulcrum terminal post in relation to the switch blade, the free position of the latter being shown in full lines and the rest position in assembly being shown in dotted lines.

The tilt switch 10 as shown in FIG. 1 provides a hollow base 11 having a portion thereof covered by a protective sleeve 12. By a pin shaft 14, a tiltable actuator 13 is pivotally mounted between triangularly shaped side walls 15 and 16 of the base 11. The base 11 also provides end walls 17 and 18 which, together with the side walls 15 and 16, define a center cavity 19.

Extending through the bottom wall 20 of the base 11 are a plurality of aligned terminals 21, 21' and 21", as well as parallelly aligned corresponding terminals 22, 22' and 22.

The terminals 21' and 22' are of the construction shown in FIG. 8, and as such each provides a fulcrum 23. This fulcrum is of a determined angle, preferably substantially 90.

The switch 10 as shown in the drawings includes two switch blades 24 and 25. Each of the switch blades 24 and 25 is of similar construction and one is more specifically shown in FIG. 9, wherein the blade 24 has a contact bearing end 26 and has its opposite end reversely bent as at 27 so as to provide a yieldable finger 28 which terminates into an angular tab 29. The medial portion of the blade has formed therein an inverted V-shaped seat 30. The V of this seat 30 forms an angle greater than the angle of the fulcrum 23 and is preferably 125, and sits on the fulcrum head 23 of either of the terminals 21 or 22' as shown in FIG. 10.

i As shown in FIG. 9, the V-shaped seat 30 extends laterally beyond the edges of the switch blade so as to bear against the enlarged side wall surface of the side walls 15 and 16 and a center wall 30' (shown in dotted lines in FIG. 6). As shown in FIG. 6, the switch blades 24 and 25 are reversely positioned within the cavity 19 so that a specific operation may be achieved and which is hereinafter explained. The actuator 13 has, as shown in FIG. 5, its underside 31 formed to provide a center block 32 which includes side edges 33 as well as triangularly shaped pivot bearings 34 and 35, which pivot bearings have their apexes otfset horizontally with respect to each other as clearly shown in FIG. 7. The center block 32 also provides a center support 36 having a substantial flat surface, which lies below the horizontal plane of the side edges 33 as seen in FIG. 7.

The end walls 17 and 18 of the base 11 are provided with posts 37 and 38 which form recesses 39 which in turn receive the opposite ends of a flat spring 40. When the actuator 13 is mounted between the side walls 15 and 16, the flat surface of the center support 36 of the center block 32 formed on the underside 31 thereof, will lie in facial abutment on the flat spring 40 as seen in FIG. 2, maintaining the switch 10 in its neutral position. To actuate the switch so as to establish a circuit through certain of its terminals and switch blades, the actuator 13 may be pivoted in either a clockwise or anticlockwise direction about the pin shaft 14 as viewed in FIGS. 2 and 3.

As specifically shown in FIG. 3, the actuator 13 has been tilted about the pin shaft 14 in a clockwise direction, and this movement has caused the triangularly shaped pivot bearing 34 to move against the yieldably finger 28 of the switch blade 24 to a position where its line of force upon the yieldable finger 28 extends to the opposite side of the fulcrum head 23, causing the blade 24 to pivot thereabout into the position shown. At the same time, pivot bearing 35 has been moved further along the finger portion of the blade 25 to maintain it in its unactuated position. In the pivoted position of the blade 24, as shown in FIG. 3, its contacting end 36 has been moved into contact with the terminal head 41 of the terminal 22 while its opposite end 27 has been pivoted out of contact with the contact head 42 of the terminal 22".

An additional important beneficial result is achieved through the construction of the switch blade 24 and the fulcrum 23 of the terminal 22' which function as shown in FIG. 4 and which results in a lateral wiping contractual movement of the contact head 26 of the blade 24 and the contact head 41 of the terminal 22.

As the actuator 13 is tilted in a clockwise direction as shown, the triangularly shaped pivot bearing 34 will come into full facial contact with the angular tab 29 provided at the end of the yieldable finger 28 of the blade 24 and cause the blade 24 to move laterally on the fulcrum 23. This movement is achieved through the fact that the fulcrum 23 has, as hereinbefore stated, an angular apex of approximately while the angle of the V-shaped seat 30 formed in the blade 24 is approximately The difi'erence between the two angular related parts permits the lateral wiping movement of the blade 24 as hereinbefore described. Such wiping action is highly beneficial because it prevents the accumulation of foreign deposits between the contacts due to arcing and the like.

In the event the actuator 13 is tilted in an opposite direction, the other oppositely disposed switch blade 25 will pivot about its fulcrum 24 when the pivot bearing 35 moves against the yieldable finger 28 of the switch blade 25.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred form of construction for carrying my invention into effect, this is capable of variation and modification without departing from the spirit of the invention. I, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction set forth, but desire to avail myself of such variations and modifications as come within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. An electrical tilt switch having a cavitied housing to which is tiltably connected an actuator, wherein the improvement comprises a. a plurality of terminals providing contact heads disposed in a predetemiined alignment within the housing,

b, an elongated switch blade having a substantially flat portion extending longitudinally of and in contact with at least a pair of said contact heads and having another portion in contact with the actuator,

c. a pivot fulcrum having a predetermined triangular cross section provided by one of said contact heads of said pair of contacts and upon which said switch blade is pivotally positioned by the actuator so as to be in contact with another of said contact heads,

a predetermined angled seat means formed in said switch blade for freely positioning said switch blade on the apex of said pivot fulcrum,

e. said seat means cooperating with said pivot fulcrum to pivot said switch blade out of contact with said other of said contact heads and into contact with a different contact head by initial tiltable movement of the actuator, with said seat means moving off the apex of said pivot fulcrum as said switch blade moves longitudinally through the plane of the aligned contact heads and transversely of said difierent contact head by continuous tiltable movement of the actuator.

2. An electrical tilt switch as defined by claim 1 wherein said pivot fulcrum provides a apex that freely receives said seat means provided by said switch blade.

3. An electrical tilt switch as defined by claim 2 wherein said seat means is formed by an angle greater than said 90 apex of said pivot fulcrum for freely supporting said switch blade on said pivot fulcrum for pivotal and slidable movement relative thereto.

4. An electrical tilt switch as defined by claim 1 wherein said seat means provided by said switch blade comprises an inverted V-shaped member formed intermediate said substantially flat portion of said elongated switch blade with said inverted V-shaped member having an angle greater than the apex of said pivot fulcrum for freely supporting said switch blade thereon for pivotal and longitudinal movement relative thereto.

* t I i 

1. An electrical tilt switch having a cavitied housing to which is tiltably connected an actuator, wherein the improvement comprises a. a plurality of terminals providing contact heads disposed in a predetermined alignment within the housing, b. an elongated switch blade having a substantially flat portion extending longitudinally of and in contact with at least a pair of said contact heads and having another portion in contact with the actuator, c. a pivot fulcrum having a predetermined triangular cross section provided by one of said contact heads of said pair of contacts and upon which said switch blade is pivotally positioned by the actuator so as to be in contact with another of said contact heads, d. a predetermined angled seat means formed in said switch blade for freely positioning said switch blade on the apex of said pivot fulcrum, e. said seat means cooperating with said pivot fulcrum to pivot said switch blade out of contact with said other of said contact heads and into contact with a different contact head by initial tiltable movement of the actuator, with said seat means moving off the apex of said pivot fulcrum as said switch blade moves longitudinally through the plane of the aligned contact heads and transversely of said different contact head by continuous tiltable movement of the actuator.
 2. An electrical tilt switch as defined by claim 1 wherein said pivot fulcrum provides a 90* apex that freely receives said seat means provided by said switch blade.
 3. An electrical tilt switch as defined by claim 2 wherein said seat means is formed by an angle greater than said 90* apex of said pivot fulcrum for freely supporting said switch blade on said pivot fulcrum for pivotal and slidable movement relative thereto.
 4. An electrical tilt switch as defined by claim 1 wherein said seat means provided by said switch blade comprises an inverted V-shaped member formed intermediate said substantially flat portion of said elongated switch blade with said inverted V-shaped member having an angle greater than the apex of said pivot fulcrum for freely supporting said switch blade thereon for pivotal and longitudinal movement relative thereto. 